Topics of talks, lectures at Roseville Library range from Islamic history to American conservatism to civil rights
The Roseville Library, 2180 N. Hamline Ave., has announced a number of talks and programs in the month of February. All lectures are free and open to the community without pre-registration.
On Tuesday, Feb. 7, U of M professor Nabil Matar will present “Islam, Coffee and Robinson Crusoe.” Matar will discuss the beginnings of Islam as a religion and some of the political and theological developments that led to the Sunni-Shi’a rift. He will also focus on the civilization of Islam and two influences that left their mark on the West: the introduction of coffee in the middle of the 17th century and the inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe. The talk will begin at 12:30 p.m.
Historian Erika Lee will present “The Making of Asian America” Thursday, Feb. 23, at 11:30 a.m. Lee will discuss the little-known history of Asian Americans and their role in American life, from the arrival of the first Asians in the Americas to present day.
The Tuesdays with a Scholar series will be held Feb. 21 and 28 at 12:30 p.m. Center of the American Experiment founder Mitch Pearlstein will present “From Bill Buckley to Donald Trump: the Many Faces of American Conservatism,” on Feb. 21.
U of M law professor Myron Orfield will discuss how growing segregation in Minnesota’s central cities and first ring suburbs has contributed to conflict between the police and communities of color on Feb. 28.
Civil rights activist J.B. Andersen will present “Martin Luther King and Me: a Personal Reminiscence of the Civil Rights Era” on Wednesday, Feb. 22, a 12:30 p.m. In the 1960s, Andersen was involved with some of the best known events of that era, including the Mississippi Summer Project and the marches in Washington, D.C.
March is Women’s History Month and the Roseville Library will present the film “Equal Means Equal” on Thursday, March 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
